this ain't a fairy tale. [ open ]

[iamsofluffeh]

Flashpaw stumbled awkwardly into the apprentices' den, looking extremely lonely as she settled into her nest. A soft sigh escaped her as she looked around at the chattering and laughing apprentices. So many cats.. yet she almost didn't have a friend in there. A tear appeared at the corner of her eye, and tumbled down her cheek as Flashpaw turned her gaze around the den.

[Ivyleaf]

Ivypaw looked kindly at the she cat curled up in her nest. "Hello, im Ivypaw."

[Duskpaw]

Shadepaw came over to talk to Ivypaw and he saw a new cat. "Well hello there miss." he said the the other cat. "I'm Shadepaw."

[Ivyleaf]

Ivypaw intriduced Flashpaw. " This is Flashaw."

[Spokensong]

Spokenpaw just woke up for a nap and felt like bounding off the den walls! She contained her excitement, however. She looked around for anyone to chat with and found her awesome friend Ivypaw with two other cats. She didn't recognize the one beside her, but the one in the nest was Flashpaw. Spokenpaw padded up to them to say hello. "Hi!" she mouthed excitedly. Then she noticed Flashpaw's sad expression the faint glimmer of a tear on her cheek. Spokenpaw's excited faded but quickly returned so she wouldn't put this upset apprentice under any pressure to tell them all why.

[Ivyleaf]

Ivypaw sat down next to Spokenpaw and Flashpaw. " Wats wrongz." She asked.

[iamsofluffeh]

" H - how do you know my name? " Flashpaw jumped nearly a foot in the air as three or so cats surrounded her nest. Looking terrified now, the apprentice skittered backwards skittishly with a look of fear on her face. Twitching her nose, Flashpaw immediately covered her head with both of her paws.

[Spokensong]

"Me? Nothing! I just woke up from a nap and I'm still a little tired," she mouthed. She tried not to mouth too fast and included a fake yawn for effect. 'It's a good thing I can't talk, or I'd be a terrible liar,' she thought. She looked surprisingly to Flashpaw. "Although, she might not be ok"

[iamsofluffeh]

Flashpaw seemed to turn hard of hearing again, which was true. Having had ear problems since birth, the apprentice cocked her head back and forth, swiveling her ears to and fro so she could capture sound. Panicking, the apprentice practically slammed her head against the wall she was pushed up against.

[Spokensong]

"Whoa!" she mouthed as she practically ran over to the apprentice. Spokenpaw gently pushed her head away from the wall. Spokenpaw made sure she was looking at Flashpaw's face. "Hey, I'm Spokenpaw, remember? I can't talk because I'm deaf." Spokenpaw tried to mouth slowly and keep her face calm.

[iamsofluffeh]

Flashpaw was heaving great breaths, and the silence pressed against her ears. Looking completely out of it, the apprentice was practically trying to sink into the ground. " Can't.. hear.. ear problems... " she managed to gasp out, or rather mouth. Shuddering quietly, the apprentice whisked her head back and forth unhappily.

[Ivyleaf]

Ivypaw looked at Flashpaw sy,athetically. "Well, Spokenpaw can help you with that."

[Spokensong]

Spokenpaw's worried face turned sad. "Well, I've never heard anything before..." she mouthed this extremely slow with her head slightly bent and a type of wistfulness in her eyes. Spokenpaw understood that Flashpaw was upset and worried that she wasn't hearing, but Spokenpaw wanted Flashpaw to know that there was something worse than not being able to hear all the time.